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[From
the article: “We
sell FAR more e-books that also have print counterparts than we do books that
are only available in electronic format…The perceived value of a book
that is in electronic and print formats is higher than one that’s a just a
throwaway, 99-cent e-book.” In other words, if vanity doesn’t keep authors
invested in print books, economic self-interest will. All that might seem
trivial, until you realize that the number of would-be authors in America is
skyrocketing—particularly among the younger generation. The number of
degree-granting U.S. creative writing programs has exploded from 79 to 854 in
the past 35 years. The average age of students starting these programs is twenty-six.
I’m lucky enough to be a student in one myself, and can attest anecdotally that
the goal of nearly every writer pursuing this degree is to see his or her words
realized in print book form]

[Traditional 3D printing uses a powder/glue method to create
a 3D part molded in something like hard plaster; newer methods now produce
metallic parts or parts with metallic components that can be used directly in
equipment being manufactured, saving considerable sums of money. For point of
reference, the Art Department here uses a 3D printer to create jewelry.]

Published by MIT

Printing Parts

Systems that print mechanical components with metal ­powder
could be used to build lighter, more efficient airplanes.

[From the article: That option got an extra push
Wednesday when Amazon went live with its library lending
program, bringing Kindle e-books to 11,000 participating
libraries across the U.S. Customers with a library card will be able to browse
their local library’s website and borrow digital books, which will be sent
wirelessly to their Kindle devices and apps. You don’t have to have a Kindle
device to borrow Kindle books: The program works with Amazon’s Kindle apps,
which are available on a profusion of mobile devices, and with Kindle Cloud
Reader, the company’s new Web-based
offering. Books can be borrowed for a set duration, typically
around two weeks, after which they are deleted from the borrower’s digital
collection. Libraries purchase licenses for the books they lend, which limits
the number of digital copies that can be “checked out” at the same
time. ]

[From the article: Amazon was talking with book
publishers about launching a Netflix-like service for digital books, in which
customers would pay an annual fee to access a library of content, The Wall
Street Journal reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. It was
unclear how much traction the proposal has, the people said. Several publishing
executives said that they were not enthusiastic about the idea because they
believe it could lower the value of books and strain their relationships with
other retailers selling their books, they said.Amazon did not immediately
respond to requests for comment Sunday. The proposal was another sign that
retailers were looking for more ways to deliver content digitally as customers
increasingly read books and watch TV on computers, tablets and other electronic
devices.]

SEATTLE
– Amazon was talking with book publishers about launching a Netflix-like
service for digital books, in which customers would pay an annual fee to access
a library of content, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing people
familiar with …

[From mashable.com: The details about
the project are scarce, but it appears that the library would primarily contain
older works with restrictions on how many books a user can access each month.
The service would also be available to subscribers of Amazon Prime, a
membership program that gives users free shipping and access to movies and TV
shows for $79 per year. Amazon has been on a roll this year, having launched
Amazon Prime in February and a subsidized
version of Kindle in May. The retail giant reported a 51% jump in revenues
for Q2 2011 and the fastest
growth in a decade. Source: http://mashable.com/2011/09/12/amazon-netflix-books/]

[From the article: Xerox and On
Demand Books will jointly market and sell, on a worldwide basis, the Xerox 4112
Copier/Printer together with the Espresso Book Machine – a fully integrated
solution that prints, binds and trims books with full color covers on demand in
retail locations and libraries. The Espresso Book Machine can produce
paperbacks in variable combinations of trim sizes between 4.5″ x 5.0″
and 8.25″ x 10.5″ for a production cost less than one cent per page.
With the Xerox 4112, the Espresso Book Machine produces a 300-page book in less
than four minutes and has the capacity to print more than 40,000 paperback
books per year. “Xerox is a natural fit for On Demand Books and the
Espresso Book Machine,” said Dane Neller, CEO, On Demand Books.]